Finding Comfort in Vulnerability
by The Pen and the Spoon
Summary: Since the war, Hermione has been struggling with her parents' lasting amnesia and Ron's lack of support, so when Neville invites her to join a group counselling session for other war survivors, she decides to go. She definitely does not expect Draco Malfoy to be there, nor does she expect to hear his complex story. Can she find solace in a man she once hated? Rated M just in case.
1. Introduction

**Hey! This is my first story in a while, so bear with me while I get back into the rhythm.**

 **As usual, I do not own any of the characters or the world they live in since those all belong to the wonderful JK Rowling.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

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As Hermione walked outside the flat she shared with Ron, she felt the cool November breeze tickling her cheeks. She stood at the bus stop, waiting for the bus headed to downtown London. It had been almost 5 years since the war had ended, and nearly 4 years since she had completed her education at Hogwarts. It wasn't as if she was incapable of simply apparating or flooing to St. Mungo's.

Of course, any time Ginny tagged along she would use magic to transport herself to the wizarding hospital to avoid inconveniencing her friend. But on days like today, when she was going by herself, Hermione enjoyed the time the journey took. She enjoyed the pensive moment she had while she waited outside for the bus to come. She enjoyed the familiar jostling of the bus that she had ridden to her first day of muggle school, to her first trip to Diagon Alley.

For a long time, Hermione had lived in the muggle world. Now that she was living with Ron and working at the Ministry, she hardly ever had the time to indulge herself in the mundane muggle pleasures she did so enjoy.

As she rode the bus downtown, Hermione thought about everything that had happened since the war. Harry, never one to rest, had immediately settled into Auror training after the war had finished. In he was now one of the top Aurors in the office, despite being relatively new to the department. His passion for work meant he often worked late hours, much to the chagrin of his girlfriend. Ginny was stubborn about making Harry feel bad for working long hours. When he wasn't in earshot, however, she would readily admit how proud she was of him and how accepting she was of his work schedule. She just needed to hold something over his head if she ever wanted to level the playing field in their relationship.

While Ginny was constantly pushing her life with Harry forward, Ron, who had been dating Hermione since the Battle of Hogwarts, was rather keen on keeping his life simple. He would occasionally help George out at the joke shop, but everyone knew that he didn't have to work a day in his life with all the money they had received as a thank you for their efforts in the war. He and Hermione had a good relationship, after all, they had been friends for nearly 12 years now. But he was quite happy to settle into a routine. After work, they would talk about their day, then eat dinner, then he would turn on the telly to the quidditch channel she had set up for him, and settle into watching his favorite sport with her curled up at his side with some of her readings for work. It was all very nice and comfortable.

As the bus jolted to a stop, Hermione looked up and realized she had to get off. As she crossed the street, she saw the inconspicuous front of the wizard hospital. She sighed as she walked through the front door and breathed in the strong smell of potions. Although very different from the ultra-sterile smell of muggle hospitals, St. Mungo's was still far from smelling or feeling comfortable. But it was very familiar for Hermione.

See, this was the final part of the routine that her life had become. Granted, this part had nothing to do with Ron's fondness for simplicity. In fact, this was a part of her life that Ron never took part in. She walked along the familiar corridors until she reached their room.

Her parents were in there, chatting away as usual. The obliviate she had cast on them all those years ago had been powerful enough to save them when the war got bad. However, when the war ended, it was still too strong for their memory to be completely healed. To them, she was just a kind woman who came to check on them every week.

The healers insisted that their memory showed signs of improvement and that the potions they were prescribed would take time to restore them to their former selves. They assured her that with time, things would improve. But until the time that their memory began to return on its own, it was best not to try and bring up things from their past. Feeding them memories might bring her comfort, but it was likely to permanently alter the way they knew her and thought of her when their old memories should return. So until the day that they could recognize her on their own, she would be the kind volunteer who came to entertain them every week.

She walked into the hospital room, a small cake in her hands.

"How did you know it was my birthday?" her mother asked. Hermione willed the pain not to show in her eyes. Even after years of this, the forgetting never got any easier.

"The nurses told me. They wanted you to have a nice visitor." Hermione's mother smiled.

"How lovely. I'm rather glad to have the company, you know how dull Harold here can get."

"Hey!" her dad retorted, although the smile in his eyes betrayed his angry tone.

"Kidding, love." It brought Hermione so much joy that they still found such happiness in each other after all this time. At least she knew they had each other. "But really, it's so lovely of you to think of silly old me today. It can be hard since we don't have any close relatives left. No one else to celebrate with."

The words stung. No matter how many times the Grangers referenced their lack of family, it still killed Hermione to keep quiet when all she wanted was to hug them and explain to them that they still had a daughter and she was right here and they could be a family together! But again, that was against the healers' instructions, so she had to gulp it down.

"That's a real shame." She responded. "But I'm always happy to celebrate with you."

"What a kind young woman! Your parents must be so proud of you." Harold exclaimed, patting her on the arm.

"I hope they are." She held his eye contact for a moment, then gave a small smile. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I need to use the loo."

Hermione slipped outside the room as the couple cut into the cake. She took a deep breath. She had to maintain her composure. Just as she was rubbing her shoulders in preparation for reentering the room, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Hermione?" a man's voice questioned from behind her.

"Neville? Oh, how have you been, it's been ages!" She cried as she hugged her friend and former classmate.

"I've been alright. New job at Hogwarts, new flat with Hannah, well there's not much to complain about! What are you doing here?" She shifted her weight and he could tell that she was trying to formulate an answer. Then he saw the sign on the door behind her. "Your parents- blimey, it's been ages, surely they're—" but he stopped when he saw her eyes drop. "Goodness, Hermione, I had no idea. I'm so sorry."

"Thanks, Neville. You of all people would understand."

"Of course. Why don't you tell me about it?"

So she did. She explained how the potion for undoing the obliviate was working as the healers had expected, just slightly slower than normal. How the healers explained that they must just have stubborn minds. She ranted about how she couldn't be their daughter, how much it hurt that she couldn't just be there for them. How lonely it all felt.

"Blimey, Hermione. You seem so distraught."

"Well, I haven't exactly been able to talk to anyone about it. Except Ginny, but she has her own problems, so I don't want to worry her with all the sad details." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as her gaze shifted to the floor. She became suddenly aware of how vulnerable she was.

"What about Ron? Haven't you two been together for ages now? Surely you can trust him."

"He-" How could she put this nicely? "He sort of shuts down anytime I bring up family."

"Oh." She could feel his judgement weighing on the silence between them. Now she really felt uncomfortable. "Well, I'm not sure I'm the best person to help with that myself, but I do know something that might help you. With all of this." He made eye contact. "I don't know if you knew, but Luna has been working as a counselor lately, and she runs this group session every week for war survivors. You know, to talk through grief, and confusion, and morality and stuff. And I really think it helps. To see how much the war has impacted others too, to get some advice from others who are struggling with similar issues." They sat in silence for a moment, letting the vulnerability between them hang in the air like a candle in the Great Hall. Neville pulled out a slip of paper, and quickly jotted down some information. "Here. This is where and when we meet, every Thursday at 5 o'clock. Please do think about it." Neville stood up, and Hermione followed suit.

"Thanks, Neville. Really." She gave him a gentle hug. "We really ought to catch up sometime. Hopefully in a cheerier venue next time." He chuckled lightly.

"I'll see you around, Hermione."

She looked down at the slip of paper in her hand. Sighing, she gently folded it up and put it in her pocket. She knew as she walked back into the hospital room, as she saw her parents' faint smiles, that she would be going to that meeting.

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 **a/n: next chapter we should be getting into more of the drama and more of the fun stuff. Lemme know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Sorry it took so long for the update! Hope you enjoy!**

 **None of these characters or this world belongs to me.**

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Hermione got off the bus later that afternoon with a weight lifted off her shoulders. She was going to open up about her parents. She was going to find a way to deal.

She opened the door to their flat, smiling as a rush of warmth flooded her cheeks. She could hear the familiar sounds of quidditch commentary in the background as she hung up her coat and walked in.

"Hey, Ron. I'm home." She placed a soft kiss on the top of his head. She walked past him into the kitchen to grab a cup of tea.

"I can see that," he said with a chuckle. "Well you're cheerful."

"I talked to Neville today." Since she didn't know how he would respond, she decided to bring the whole therapy thing up slowly.

"Yeah? How's he doing?" He replied flatly. She didn't care that he didn't care. She was going to keep talking.

"He's doing great! He's working at Hogwarts as a herbology professor. We had a great chat, really."

Ron didn't respond. She sighed.

"He told me about this group he's been meeting with," she lead off hesitantly.

Silence.

"It's a counselling group that Luna runs. For survivors of the war."

Nothing.

"I think I might go."

He turned around to look at her, her hands cradling the fresh cup of tea to her chest as if she depended on its warmth. He could see the uneasiness in her eyes.

"Well, alright then. That sounds like a good idea," he grunted, half under his breath.

"Yes." She breathed a sigh of relief. "I really think this could be good. You know, getting an opportunity to open up to someone about my parents. I think it'll be nice," she rambled, hasty to get her word in before he lost interest.

"Great." He smiled at her and placed a soft kiss on her lips. Then he turned back to the game.

Her brows furrowed for a second. What she really wanted was a gateway to talking about their communication, or lack thereof. She knew that he didn't respond well to passive aggressive arguments, but at the same time, she knew he would just brush off any straightforward suggestions.

"It's been hard, you know." Her eyes were locked on him, trying to read his posture. "Not having anyone to talk to about them."

"I'll bet." His expression didn't change.

"And it'll be hard, talking to people I don't know very well about this. Since it's so personal. I wish there was someone I trusted to talk to." She cringed when she saw a frown settle on his face. She had had a feeling that was a little to obvious, but she went on and said it anyway. And now he was frustrated.

"If there's something you want to say, 'Mione—" His tension was contagious and she suddenly felt angry that he was being so cold.

"Yes Ronald! Of course there's something I want to say! I haven't been able to talk to you in weeks! Every time I try to bring up my parents, you shut me down. You turn me away. We're meant to be partners, Ron, not just housemates. We're supposed to be able to talk to each other!" she huffed, as all the tension left her chest.

He could see the pain in her eyes.

"Look. I'm sorry that I can't talk about this with you. I wish I could, but I'm just not in the right mood." He rubbed her shoulder then trailed his hand down her arm until her tiny hand was caught in his.

"Right." She didn't know why she had expected him to open up, or to let her talk. She knew that he wouldn't. But that didn't mean she wasn't disappointed.

The silence was no longer tense, just heavy. They sat for a moment.

"I should go. I promised Ginny I would stop by Grimauld Place to have a glass of wine." She pulled her tiny hand out of his and stood up slowly. She never liked lying to him, but she really needed her best friend.

She grabbed a handful of floo powder as she stepped into the fireplace.

* * *

Hermione walked timidly out of the fireplace. She wasn't sure if anyone was home yet, so she called out into the home.

"Hello? Ginny?" Even though she knew there was no safer home in all the wizarding world, the dark and quiet still unnerved her. She held her wand tightly in her fist.

She nearly died of shock as she felt a pair of hands cover her eyes.

"Boo! Ha! Gotcha Hermione! Really you should have realized by now that I'm going to do this every time you come out of that fireplace."

"You git, Harry!" She cried as she enveloped her oldest friend in a hug.

"Nice to see you too." He pulled back and gave her a big, goofy grin. It's amazing how much cheerier he got after the war. It seemed as if not having a piece of Voldemort's soul in him really improved his mood.

Harry led her into the kitchen, where he turned on the kettle and prepped a cup of her favorite tea. After 12 years of friendship, he had gotten surprisingly good at telling when she was upset and when she needed a good cup of tea to help settle her whirling thoughts.

"I was looking for your girlfriend, actually. Is she around?" she asked, smiling a little as she wrapped her hands around the nice warm cup and smelled the steam wafting up into her face.

"Yeah, she just ran upstairs to put sweatpants on. Rough practice I guess. What's up?" The look of concern on his face told her that she looked as emotionally exhausted as she felt. She usually preferred talking to Ginny about her problems with Ron since Harry and Ron were still practically inseparable. She knew that he would never share her feelings with Ron, but she always felt uncomfortable putting Harry into a situation in which he would have to decide between protecting one best friend and lying to another.

But tonight, she could tell Harry was really worried and she didn't want to leave him with unnecessary concern.

"Ron and I got into a fight." She took a small sip of her tea to signal that he should take control of where this conversation went.

"Again?"

"You mean you knew about the other ones?"

"Blimey, Hermione. I thought you were the brightest witch of our age. Did you really think that neither my best friend nor my girlfriend would tell me about the biggest conflict in our lives right now?" Hermione blushed in embarrassment. Of course Ginny and Ron had talked to him about it.

"Well, this time it wasn't exactly a fight. But I suppose that's the problem." Her eyebrows crinkled as she was starting to unpack her feelings. "He still doesn't want to talk about anything serious. We've had this fight a thousand times. But this time, it didn't feel like a fight. He wasn't fighting back. He just didn't care." _It feels like we've burnt out._

Her shoulders sank as that last thought crossed her mind. She could see the gears turning in Harry's head as he tried to come up with something to say.

"You don't have to respond." She rushed out. She could see the guilt in his eyes that he couldn't comfort his best friend when she needed him most. "Just listening to me rant helped me a lot, really.'

"Plus, comforting her and saying the right thing is my job," the redhead said as she walked into the room and poured herself a cup of tea. "I know it's hard for you to not be the hero every time, love, but sometimes you have to let some of us handle it." She grabbed Hermione's hand comfortingly. "So what's going on exactly."

"Your brother's being a shitty boyfriend again." Harry said matter-of-factly.

"Is this about your parents again?" Ginny asked.

"What else? He just doesn't want to talk about anything serious. I tried to hint to him that I wanted to talk more by telling him that I was excited to go to this group counseling session so I could open up—"

"Hold up, counseling?" Ginny butted in.

"Oh, yeah. Neville told me about this group that Luna started to talk about how the war has impacted our lives. He thought it might be a good place for me to talk about my parents."

"Wow, Hermione. That sounds like a great idea!" Harry exclaimed. She knew she shouldn't compare Harry and Ron's reactions, but it felt so good to hear that someone else was excited about her idea. The little bit of enthusiasm in Harry's voice, even if it was probably a little bit exaggerated, made it seem like Harry really cared about her emotional well-being. Was that really that hard for Ron?

"You think?" She hated fishing for affirmation, but at the same time, she knew it would make her feel better, if only temporarily.

"I agree." Ginny added. "You deserve someone you can talk to about these kinds of things. As much as I'd like to believe I could fulfill that role for you, I know that I'm always busy with Quidditch. And even when I'm free, I don't really understand what you're going through. Talking to other people who get what this feels like seems like a great idea to me."

Hermione took turns giving her two best friends warm hugs. Even if her problems with Ron hadn't been solved, she was so glad to have friends could make her feel so valued and loved.

"I love you guys, you know that?" She said as she wiped a small tear from her eye.

"Hey, that's what we're here for," Ginny said as she snuggled into Harry's side.

Hermione felt so lucky to have these people in her life. They deserved every ounce of happiness they had together and more.

"I should get home. If I'm going to this meeting on Thursday, I'll have to get ahead on work tomorrow. But thank you. For everything."

They followed her into the living room.

"Now if my idiot brother does anything stupid, you know where to find me okay?" Ginny looked a little concerned. She clearly had about as much faith in this relationship as Hermione did at the moment.

"Of course, Gin. I suppose I'll see you two soon enough, yeah?"

"Of course." Harry smiled.

With that, she flooed back to the flat.

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 **a/n: This is going a little slower than I expected, but we should be getting into more of the drama starting next chapter! And hopefully this slow pace means it'll be nice and long!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Wow! Two chapters in one day! Don't expect this to be a regular occurrence, but since I was in the mood I figured I might as well double post. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Remember, I don't own any of it.**

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Hermione took a deep breath. She looked down at her watch for the 5th time in as many minutes. She didn't want to be late to Luna's group, but she didn't want to be too early either. She had told herself she could leave at a quarter to 5. That would give her enough time to clean up her desk before she left and walk to the room Neville had given her on the 4th floor of the ministry. Then she would be exactly 5 minutes early so she would have enough time to get a drink and get comfortable before things started.

She felt the butterflies surge in her stomach when she realized it was, indeed, a quarter to 5. She hurriedly shuffled her papers into her briefcase. She carefully lifted the large stack of reference books off her desk and put them back into their places on the shelf. As she gathered her things to leave her office, she took a moment to appreciate her rather large collection of books on magical creatures.

The books always seemed to remind her that she was happy with her life most of the time. She loved her job working in the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. She finally got to help house elves and other similar creatures as best she could. She had a well-paying job that paid for her and Ron's nice flat, her reading habit, and almost anything else that she wanted. She was really fortunate in many ways.

She only hoped that this group would help her come to terms with the less positive things in her life.

Walking down the hallway, Hermione had to force herself to slow down a few times. The nerves were getting to her and her body was trying to rush to accommodate the extra energy pulsing through her veins.

Within minutes, she was standing outside the door on the fourth floor. She took a quick moment to collect herself: a deep breath, a quick run of her fingers through her hair to smooth it down, a conscious effort to look confident. She opened the door.

To her shock, most of the faces in the room were more than familiar. Luna was sitting in a big cozy armchair near the windows that lined the far wall, clearly lost in thought as usual. Neville was chatting with Dennis Creevey by the refreshments table over the complimentary coffee. To Hermione's surprise, she caught a glimpse of Molly Weasley's short frame and ginger curls sitting in a chair across the room, having a lively conversation with none other than Cormac McLaggen. That was a face Hermione had expected never to see again. But from the way Molly was laughing and smiling, it was clear something had changed about the once annoyingly arrogant boy.

Luna noticed her first.

"Hermione. I'm so glad you decided to come." Luna spoke softly, but her words attracted the attention of the entire room nonetheless. Suddenly there 5 pairs of eyes on her and just as many smiles cast in her direction.

"Hermione, love. It's lovely to see you." Mrs. Weasley completely forgot about McLaggen as she came over to give the nervous newcomer a big hug. Molly gave the best hugs, no question. _How can Ron seem so cold when his mother hugs like this?_ Hermione caught herself thinking. Her soft grin faltered for a moment, but was lifted again when Molly pulled back to hold her face lovingly. "I was really hoping you would find your way here, dear. I know that you've been dealing with a lot." Noting the look of confusion on the younger girl's face, she continued. "Ginny talks about you a lot, dear. She seems rather worried. But, since you've found your way here, I think she won't have to worry much longer." Molly beamed at Hermione the way only a mother does. Molly had that tendency. She always made you feel like family.

"Well I believe it's now 5 o'clock. Why don't we get started?" Luna's gentle voice carried across the room. Hermione took a seat between Molly and Neville. That seemed comfortable enough to her. Creevey sat next to Luna, and Cormac sat next to Molly. There was one seat left between Cormac and Dennis, but Hermione figured that was just an extra in case there were any other newcomers. "Who wants to start today?"

"I will," Neville piped up. "Alright, so this week I went to visit my parents at St. Mungos. It was all as usual. They're still not doing well, but they seem to be stabilizing slowly. They're really friendly even if they still can't recognize me. And I don't know what spurred it, but when I left, I got really angry. I mean no offense, I love Harry as much as you do, but that night I felt this burning anger towards him. Maybe not personally, but I was so angry that it could've just as easily been him visiting St. Mungos twice a week. That if things had gone just slightly different, he would've been stuck in my situation, with none of the glory and all of the pain that came from that bloody prophecy." His face got flushed and he refused to make eye contact with anyone else in the room. This was a side of Neville that Hermione hadn't seen before. She had never realized how much pain he carried with him every day. Luna reached her hand out to Neville, who took it thankfully.

"Does anyone have a thought about this?" It almost seemed as if Luna's voice was laced with a sedative, as Hermione felt some of the tension in the room dissolve at her question.

"Um, I suppose I do?" Hermione chimed in hesitantly. Just as she was about to continue, when the door to the room slipped open quietly. The noise startled Hermione, but the sight it revealed startled her even more.

There, in the doorway, stood Draco Malfoy.

Hermione froze for a moment. As her mind began to thaw, it did the only thing she knew how to do when it was thrown out of balance: think. She wondered when he had started coming, when he had had communication with any of the people in this room to find out about the group, when he had been allowed to reenter the ministry after his part in the war.

His part in the war. That must've been why he was here. The change from death eater to normal wizard after the war must've been hard for anyone, let alone the young, naïve boy Malfoy was at Hogwarts.

"Sorry I'm late, please don't let me interrupt." Suddenly Hermione realized that as her mind had been racing, she had maintained eye contact with the silver eyes on the man across from her. She quickly averted her gaze, but not before she could notice that he had also maintained eye contact. His gaze wasn't malicious, just curious. This unsettled her.

Luna cleared her throat.

"You were saying, Hermione?" she prodded. Hermione shook herself out of her momentary confusion and traced her thoughts back to where she was before he entered.

"I know how painful it is to visit your parents in hospital." Her voice cracked a little at the end of her phrase. This was uncomfortable, opening up to all these people about her experience, especially the silver-eyed blonde across from her. The boy who had only ever thrown slurs and insults her way, got to hear some of her deepest feelings. That bothered her. But she remembered that she was meant to be offering advice to her friend, not fretting about her own comfort.

"But at the end of the day, they're still there. And I know sometimes it seems like it would just be easier if they were- if they were dead. Because then you could move on." Somehow courage was seeping into her voice slowly. "But when I feel like that, I try to remind myself of the really good days. Even if they don't remember you, they are there with you, they'll smile at you, laugh with you, listen to you. They may not exactly be your parents anymore, but they still love you and care for you even if they don't really know why. At least, that's what keeps me going." She smiled hopefully at Neville.

"Yeah, I suppose I need to work on putting things in perspective. That wasn't a particularly good day, but last week we had a really fascinating conversation about herbology, and I could tell that mum was happy." Neville offered her a smile in return.

"I assume you're talking about being angry at Potter?" Malfoy's voice was gentler than Hermione remembered.

Neville nodded.

"Well I'm sure, knowing Potter, he's felt as much guilt for this as you've felt anger. And, I dunno, sometimes that might make you more angry, but I reckon sometimes knowing that he is feeling pain over your pain may take some of the edge off." Malfoy's eyes were on Neville, and they seemed comfortable, as if they had some sort of established relationship. Perhaps mutual trust from the group sessions, perhaps just friendship. Hermione couldn't tell.

She could tell that Malfoy was aware of her eyes on him. She could sense that he was looking at her out of the corner of his eye, but was making a concerted effort to not look at her.

"I can confirm that Harry worries about you all the time, Neville," Hermione added. "He feels really guilty about all this."

Neville sighed. "I guess that does add perspective. I'm not the only one hurting here. And as petty as it sounds, it is rather comforting."

"Well look at that! We're only 10 minutes in and we've already resolved one problem. Let's see if we can't tackle 5 more in the time we have left!" Molly's booming voice echoed around the room, and no one could resist smiling at the warm exclamation, not even the man Hermione once knew as cold and heartless.

* * *

Hermione left the room feeling much more comfortable than when she entered. At the end of the hour, she stayed around to mingle for a bit, eating a few of the cookies Luna had kindly set out.

"So what'd you think?" She jumped a little when Neville's voice rang behind her. He was munching on a cookie, and had clearly followed her gaze to the blonde across the room, who was now chatting with Luna.

"I think this is going to be helpful. It just might take a little time to get used to." Her eyes wandered back to the duo, who were now joined by Molly.

"It took me a while to get comfortable seeing Draco and talking around him, too. I can imagine it's even weirder for you than it was for me. But I promise he's a decent bloke if you give him a chance."

"I'll try." Hermione was still, rightfully, skeptical. But she wasn't going to let that show.

"Good. Well I'll see you next week then!" Neville patted her on the shoulder before walking out the door, with a quick wave to everyone else as he left.

Hermione decided now was a good time to follow. After all, she was meant to meet Harry at the Leaky Cauldron in 15 minutes.

* * *

Harry was sitting at a table with two butterbeers when she arrived.

"With ginger." He pushed the second glass over to her as she sat down.

"Just how I like it." They shared a smile.

"Yeah, I'm sorry my fiancée couldn't be here tonight." Hermione's eyes opened in shock at Harry's words. She couldn't process fast enough to cut him off. "She passed out after practice, and I couldn't have woken her if I tried. And trust me I tried." He smiled at her. This gave her an opportunity to gather her thoughts.

"Harry James Potter. Don't tell me you proposed without telling me." Hermione glared at her best friend as he casually sipped his drink.

"Well, no. I suppose she isn't my fiancée quite yet. But I think she might be soon." His grin grew. Hermione smacked his arm across the table.

"Don't scare me like that! You know I don't want to miss my two best friends getting engaged." Harry chuckled.

"Trust me, you'll know. In fact, you'll be there. I want to propose at Christmas at the Weasley's this year."

"Oh, Harry. That's wonderful!" Her heart nearly skipped a beat. She had been looking forward to their engagement since they had all left Hogwarts. There was no question in her mind that it would happen, only when. "How are you going to do it?"

"Well you know me, I'm not exactly the most creative. I was just going to wrap the box up and put it under the tree."

"I'm sure she'll love it, Harry."

"I hope so. I want her to say yes, after all." This elicited a deep laugh from Hermione's lips.

"I don't think you could do a damn thing to get her to say no, Harry." She felt so warm at the thought of their future family.

"Oh, I can't believe it!" she exclaimed. "Then if Ron and I get married, we'll all be family!" Harry's brows scrunched in confusion.

"'Mione, you know we've always been family, we'll always be family no matter what happens with you two."

"Oh, I know." She brushed it off, but the small reminders of her family, blood or not, made her really happy.

There was a quiet pause. The waitress came by to take their orders, and they each took a big sip of their butterbeers.

"So." There was an unspoken question in his short transition.

"It went well, Harry."

"Yeah?" She had a feeling he could sense her discomfort at their change in topic.

"I knew everyone there. I suppose that made it easier. Even if Malfoy was there." She slipped that detail in, hoping Harry didn't blow up at the mention of his former enemy's name.

"Oh, yeah?" He didn't seem perturbed. _Why didn't he seem perturbed?_

"Yeah. That was kind of weird. But he was polite. He even stood up for you. Even Neville told me that he was a decent guy. It was strange."

"I bet."

"Why doesn't this bother you, Harry?" She was getting a little frustrated that he wasn't even a little flustered.

"I dunno. I've talked to him once or twice in passing. He's working at the Ministry now. I'm actually surprised you haven't run into him before this. But he hasn't given me any reason to hate him. We've all changed since the war. I'm sure he's no exception."

"I suppose." She still wasn't entirely convinced.

"You can see for yourself. But if Neville insists he's a good bloke, I'd buy it."

"Maybe." She'd definitely be keeping an eye on the Slytherin, that's for sure.

* * *

 **a/n: Yay! Draco got involved finally! Let's see where this goes!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Aaaaaannddd we're back.**

* * *

Hermione had gone to 3 sessions by now. She'd heard about McLaggen's guilt over his cowardice during the war, Dennis's grief over his brother and idol, and even Luna's lingering discomfort with the Ministry. The only two people who seemed reluctant to talk were herself and Draco Malfoy. While she tried to offer up suggestions whenever she could, Hermione still wasn't sure how to talk about her own issues. While she occasionally brought up her parents when Neville sought advice, she had never spoken a word about the issues her parents caused between her and Ron. She felt that was a very personal matter, and it didn't help that his mother was a part of the group.

Speaking of, this week the Weasley matriarch was the one to open the conversation.

"I know I've talked a lot about Fred in the past, and I think I'm personally starting to come to terms with his death. I know the grief will never go away for any of us, but it seems to me as if we've all made our peace with it." Hermione glanced at the woman sitting next to her. Over the years, Mrs. Weasley's constant warmth and joy was one of the few things Hermione could count on. Even though 5 years had past since the war, it still broke Hermione's heart to see how weary and downtrodden Mrs. Weasley could become. Sure, Molly was getting more and more cheerful by the day, and had even shown signs of pure, unhindered joy recently. She was gradually bouncing back into the warm and welcoming woman she had once been. But there were still times when Hermione could tell that the warmth she exuded didn't quite reach her eyes.

Molly continued. "But as happy as we've all been lately, I can't help but noticing how much George is still struggling inside. He won't say it, of course. I suspect he doesn't want to drag anyone else down. He always valued others' happiness more than anything else. But he's been pulling away from the joke shop lately. And though he's been staying at the Burrow since it happened, he still refuses to sit down for family dinners. I feel so, so helpless. My baby boy is hurting and I don't know how to make it stop."

Out of instinct, Hermione reached over and held Molly's hands between her own. The older woman squeezed tightly in response. Hermione couldn't help but relate to Molly's disconnect from George as there was nothing she could do to help Ron with his own issues about Fred.

The group sits in silence for a moment; no one really knows how to respond.

Suddenly Draco chimes in.

"He's never going to stop thinking about Fred, Molly. They were nearly the same person and there's nothing you can do to make it go away for him."

"Can we try and keep this positive, Draco?" Luna asked gently.

"I'm getting there. It's nothing you can stop, but maybe you can help him see it in a more positive light. Remind George that Fred's death wasn't in vain. That he did good things for the world around him. That Fred was proud of him and that he should continue to do things to make his brother proud. To keep Fred's legacy alive through his own actions, especially at the joke shop. I'm sure it won't fix everything, but maybe it will help George break out of this rut."

Hermione couldn't help but smile as she saw the look of realization wash over Molly's face. Molly's shoulders fell into a more relaxed position just as she got up and walked across the room to hug the now blushing blonde.

"I really should've thought of that, but I'm glad at least you did, Draco. I suppose that's the problem. George has always been an optimistic boy, and I suppose it's been weird and completely out of character to see him so hopeless. Let's hope that this can make a difference."

"Cheers to that!" Neville raised his cup of coffee with a burst of happiness that slowly dispersed through the room.

They chatted for a little while longer: Neville commenting on the newfound success in his personal greenhouse, Luna discussing new research on the impact nargles had on mental health, and McLaggen talking about a new breakthrough at work.

Eventually, the chatter died down. They slowly meandered over to the refreshments table and engaged in a little small talk. Molly gave Hermione's shoulder a small rub as she went to leave the room.

"I'll see you at dinner tomorrow, yes?" She asked the younger woman.

"Of course. Wouldn't miss it for the world." Hermione smiled thinking about how much she always looked forward to Weasley family dinners. Since her own parents were still unaware that they even had a daughter, it was nice to have people like Molly and Arthur who would treat her as their own daughter unconditionally.

And it was great to have an excuse to see Ginny. The redhead was so busy running around for Quidditch that Hermione never really had the chance to talk to her unless there was something specific and dire to discuss. These dinners proved excellent opportunities for them to talk about not-so-heavy topics like work gossip. It was really crucial to the health and happiness of their friendship.

Not to mention Molly was an astounding cook. It made for a great change of pace from the take out and chicken and potatoes her and Ron usually ate.

She was so caught up in the excitement of going to dinner tomorrow night that she didn't even notice the blond walk up next to her to grab a muffin.

"Granger." He startled her out of her trance. He watched as the pleasant little glimmer of a smile faded into a more hesitant, confused look.

"Malfoy?" He was impressed by how much disgust she was able to keep _out_ of her tone. He could tell it was there by the tension that stayed in her façade, but he was appreciative that she would even try to hide it.

"How are you? Are your parents doing well?" She grimaced at his attempt to make small talk. Granted, she couldn't imagine a scenario in which this interaction could accurately be described as _comfortable_ , but this was almost painful.

It wasn't like she had asked to talk to him either! She had given absolutely no indication that she had wanted to interact with him today, and yet here he was. Unsure what brought out her irritable side, she responded.

"Why do you care?" They both winced at the malice dripping from her tone. "Sorry, that was uncalled for."

"No, it's alright. I just, well, I know what it's like to lose a parent." She raised her eyebrows at this. Did he really think that they were in comparable situations? "And for the record, I know it's not the same." Oh. "My dad was a horrible monster of a person and did unspeakable things. But even if I recognize that he was never a good role model for me, and trust me, I see that, he was still my dad. And losing him hurt. But since I thought no one would understand I sort of, I dunno, bottled it up, I guess. In hindsight, I feel like it might have been a lot easier to deal with if I had had someone to talk to about it." His hands were deep in his pockets and his shoulders might as well have been holding his ears up, they were so tensed. "Well, what I'm trying to say is, I thought it might be good for you to have someone to rant to. And don't take too much offense to this, but, I don't really see ol' Weaselby as the listening type. So I guess I thought I'd offer up an ear, in case you didn't have one." He took a breath, trying to gauge her reactions. Seeing none, he continued to ramble. "Of course, it's all up to you, and I hope I haven't offended you too much in this weird longwinded ramble."

He let out a huge breath when a small smile curled her lips.

"Merlin, how long have you been holding that one in?" She asked with a chuckle.

"About 10 days." He matched her little grin.

"In that case," she sipped at her coffee before continuing. "My parents are the same as they've been for weeks. Nothing good, but also nothing bad." He nodded politely waiting for her to continue. "You're right. Ronald isn't exactly the most… loquacious fellow. We don't talk about my parents much."

He didn't know how to respond. He knew that throwing more than one insult, however playful, at her boyfriend of 5 years in one conversation would be toeing a line, one he didn't much feel like crossing.

"Thank you." That was something he had never in his wild dreams expected to hear from her. "For asking about them. If I'm being honest, I'm still not quite sure how to feel about you." That was more like it. "But this was a pleasant surprise. I could see you not being my enemy in the future, if that's alright with you." He laughed, tried as he might to contain it. "What?" She asked. Laughter was not the response she expected.

"Just…" He tried to think of a nice way to put it "an odd thing to say out loud, Granger. But yes, I would appreciate not being enemies. With anyone, in fact." He smiled, and she pondered. They both sipped from their coffees.

"Well-" she started.

"I should get going-" he finished.

"Yeah." She smiled a little.

"See you next week, Granger."

"See you."

* * *

Hermione and Ron were changing out of their work robes and into comfier clothes before the Weasley family dinner.

Inspired by her conversation with Malfoy, Hermione decided she wanted to bring the issue up with Ron again. But this time, she was going to tell him directly what she felt and needed. No emotions, no manipulation, just laying the cards on the table.

"Ron?"

"Yes, love?" He was fixing his hair in the mirror but glanced at her reflection sitting behind him.

"I know we've talked about this a lot, but I need someone to talk to about my parents. And quite frankly, I'd rather not lean on Draco Malfoy for such comfort. I just want to talk to you." He raised his eyebrows at the Draco Malfoy comment, but after seeing her face all contorted with worry and pain, he sighed.

"Hermione." She huffed. She knew by his tone what his answer was going to be. "Look, I know this must be frustrating for you and you should know I'd never intentionally do anything to hurt you."

"But?"

"But this isn't just me being stubborn and distant. Every time you bring up your parents and complain about this situation, all I can think about is how at least your family is complete. Your parents are alive, even if they're not quite themselves yet. But my family, it will never be whole again. Nothing is ever going to bring Fred back. And I hate to throw that in your face because I don't want you to feel like your feelings are invalid, 'Mione. Which is why I won't talk to you about this. I can't."

His maturity on the matter weighed on her. She nodded. She understood what he was saying. She finally knew where he was coming from. But she could no longer blame this issue on Ron being immature, or cold, or generally untalkative. This was no longer some petty issue that would fix itself with time or maturity.

She tried to let it go at dinner, but the weight on her mind remained.

* * *

 **Hey guys! Sorry it's been a little while. I've been a little swamped lately. On a sad note, I have a feeling this is likely to be my pace for posting the rest of the story. However, I'm excited to keep chugging along slowly but surely, and I hope you decide to stick with me while I do :)**


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